Department for International Development

Sudan: Overseas Aid

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what additional aid, if any, they have allocated for Sudan following the signing of the peace deal on 17 August; and what conditions they have placed on any (1) current, and (2) future, aid to Sudan.

baroness sugg: The UK is committed to working with partners to meet the needs of the most vulnerable people in Sudan including 8.5 million people in need of humanitarian aid. UK aid is channelled through multilateral organisations, international Non-Governmental Organisations and commercial partners that have a strong track record of delivering in Sudan. This UKAid will provide at least £50 million per year in humanitarian and development assistance to Sudan. By 2021 we will have aided at least 2 million people every year who are affected by conflict, climate and an unreliable food supply.

Sudan: Press Freedom

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have to support a free press in Sudan through the introduction of journalism training programmes.

baroness sugg: The UK expressed its concern over restrictions to the media, freedom of expression and journalists in Sudan under the previous regime and during the recent unrest. The UK made public statement calling for the restrictions on the media to be lifted, and the joint DFID and FCO Minister for Africa relayed this message directly when summoning the Sudanese Ambassador to the FCO on 7 June 2019. The UK supported Sudan’s participation in the Media Freedom conference in London in July 2019. The UK will work with the transitional government, media and civil society organisations to support freedom of the media and press and an open civic space in Sudan to support pathway to a democratic future.

Sudan: Humanitarian Aid

baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the South Kordofan and Blue Nile Coordination Unit'sHumanitarian Update, August 2019.

baroness sugg: The UK regularly receives information on the economic and livelihood conditions of people in Sudan from multiple sources. This includes South Kordofan and Blue Nile states as well as other areas of high humanitarian need. These reports help us to assess damage or losses caused by natural or man-made events and are used to make credible determinations of the best use of available resources to address the basic needs of those affected, using UK taxpayer funds. The findings in the named report are in keeping with a range of other sources. Given the risks to humanitarian actors working in remote and conflict affected locations we are cautious not to draw attention to specific reports or organisations working in these locations.

UNRWA

baroness deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is in line with their objective to make the UK international aid process transparent and accountable; and what discussions they have had with UNRWA about transparency and accountability.

baroness sugg: DFID’s Memorandum of Understanding with UNRWA requires it to apply transparency standards in line with the UK Aid Transparency Guarantee and the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) for all funding received from DFID. DFID officials last discussed this with UNRWA as part of our annual review cycle in June 2019 and assessed that UNRWA’s work was in line with the UK’s objective to make the international aid process transparent and accountable.

Leader of the House of Lords

Ministers: Correspondence

lord blunkett: To ask the Leader of the House what assessmentshe has made of the effectiveness of the protocol governing the timeliness and appropriateness of ministerial responses to communications from parliamentarians.

baroness evans of bowes park: The Government attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of correspondence and written questions. The right of parliamentarians to take up issues directly with the Government is an important part of the democratic process and underlines the accountability of Ministers to Parliament. Each government department has their own protocol on the timelines for correspondence responses to be sent out, and parliamentarians should contact departments if they feel that responses they receive are not timely or effective. My private office is in regular contact with the private offices of my front bench team to ensure that the Lords front bench's correspondence to parliamentarians is answered promptly and effectively.

Non-domestic Rating (Public Lavatories) Bill (HL)

baroness thomas of winchester: To ask the Leader of the House when they intend to proceed with the Non-Domestic Rating (Public Lavatories) Bill [HL]; and whether they will lay a carry-over motion for that bill before the end of the current session.

baroness evans of bowes park: The Government currently has no plans to proceed with the Non-Domestic Rating (Public Lavatories) Bill (HL), nor any plans to lay a carry-over motion before the end of the current session.

Ministry of Justice

Pre-sentence Reports: Females

lord bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many women sentenced in (1) the magistrates courts, and (2) the Crown Courts, in England and Wales did not have a pre-sentence report prepared for them in each of the last five years.

lord keen of elie: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 09 September 2019.The correct answer should have been:

It is not possible to give figures for the number of sentenced women who did not have a pre-sentence report (PSR), as this would involve a process of matching court record data with probation data and the cost of doing so would be disproportionate.Regarding the women’s prison population according to age, as at 30 June 2019, the total number of female prisoners was 3,770. The age distribution is shown in the table below:Age Under 2111521-301,01131-3569636-4069041-5078451-60366Over 60108It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

lord keen of elie: It is not possible to give figures for the number of sentenced women who did not have a pre-sentence report (PSR), as this would involve a process of matching court record data with probation data and the cost of doing so would be disproportionate.Regarding the women’s prison population according to age, as at 30 June 2019, the total number of female prisoners was 3,770. The age distribution is shown in the table below:Age Under 2111521-301,01131-3569636-4069041-5078451-60366Over 60108It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Compulsorily Detained Psychiatric Patients: Prisons

lord bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many times the courts in England and Wales used prison as a place of safety in each of the last five years.

lord keen of elie: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 09 September 2019.The correct answer should have been:

Prison may be used as a ‘place of safety’ if the court is satisfied that an individual should be kept in custody for his/her own protection. This is set out under the Bail Act 1976. Specifically, for individuals with serious mental illness, the Mental Health Act 1983 sets out that a person may be remanded in custody for between 7 and 28 days awaiting available treatment and detention in hospital. The Ministry of Justice does not hold data on either of the circumstances set out. The decision to remand is taken by the individual sentencing court, and reasons for remand are not recorded centrally. The Government is clear that those suffering from a mental disorder of a nature or degree that warrants treatment and detention in hospital (i.e. a severe mental disorder) should be able to access that treatment as quickly as possible. Our forthcoming response to the independent review of the Mental Health Act will address the recommendation in that context around prison as a ‘place of safety’.It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

lord keen of elie: Prison may be used as a ‘place of safety’ if the court is satisfied that an individual should be kept in custody for his/her own protection. This is set out under the Bail Act 1976. Specifically, for individuals with serious mental illness, the Mental Health Act 1983 sets out that a person may be remanded in custody for between 7 and 28 days awaiting available treatment and detention in hospital. The Ministry of Justice does not hold data on either of the circumstances set out. The decision to remand is taken by the individual sentencing court, and reasons for remand are not recorded centrally. The Government is clear that those suffering from a mental disorder of a nature or degree that warrants treatment and detention in hospital (i.e. a severe mental disorder) should be able to access that treatment as quickly as possible. Our forthcoming response to the independent review of the Mental Health Act will address the recommendation in that context around prison as a ‘place of safety’.It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Prisoners: Females

lord bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many women currently in prison are aged (1) under 21, (2) 21–30, (3) 31–35, (4) 36–40, (5) 41–50, (6) 51–60, and (7) over 60, years old.

lord keen of elie: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 09 September 2019.The correct answer should have been:

It is not possible to give figures for the number of sentenced women who did not have a pre-sentence report (PSR), as this would involve a process of matching court record data with probation data and the cost of doing so would be disproportionate.Regarding the women’s prison population according to age, as at 30 June 2019, the total number of female prisoners was 3,770. The age distribution is shown in the table below:Age Under 2111521-301,01131-3569636-4069041-5078451-60366Over 60108It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member

lord keen of elie: It is not possible to give figures for the number of sentenced women who did not have a pre-sentence report (PSR), as this would involve a process of matching court record data with probation data and the cost of doing so would be disproportionate.Regarding the women’s prison population according to age, as at 30 June 2019, the total number of female prisoners was 3,770. The age distribution is shown in the table below:Age Under 2111521-301,01131-3569636-4069041-5078451-60366Over 60108It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member

Cabinet Office

Brexit

lord birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the date of completion of the Cabinet Office Review, code-named Operation Yellowhammer, that was published in theSunday Times on 18 August.

the earl of courtown: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 09 September 2019.The correct answer should have been:

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.As is the usual practice, we do not comment on leaked documents. Any leak is unacceptable and the leak of any information is disappointing. However, On 11th September 2019 we published an iteration of the planning assumptions which largely reflect the work carried out under the previous government, which are dated 2 August. Operation Yellowhammer is a cross government programme of work to ensure that government is prepared to mitigate the potential impacts of Brexit in the event that the UK leaves without a deal. The programme is underpinned by planning assumptions that are not a prediction of what is going to happen, but reflect a responsible Government preparing for reasonable worst-case scenarios. A reasonable worse case assumption provides a challenging and stretching scenario to aid planning. Such an approach is good risk management.We are currently undertaking a review of the reasonable worst case scenario planning assumptions for Operation Yellowhammer and will publish the revised version in due course. As you’d expect, the assumptions are under constant review, particularly as our preparations advance at pace.

the earl of courtown: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.As is the usual practice, we do not comment on leaked documents. Any leak is unacceptable and the leak of any information is disappointing. However, On 11th September 2019 we published an iteration of the planning assumptions which largely reflect the work carried out under the previous government, which are dated 2 August. Operation Yellowhammer is a cross government programme of work to ensure that government is prepared to mitigate the potential impacts of Brexit in the event that the UK leaves without a deal. The programme is underpinned by planning assumptions that are not a prediction of what is going to happen, but reflect a responsible Government preparing for reasonable worst-case scenarios. A reasonable worse case assumption provides a challenging and stretching scenario to aid planning. Such an approach is good risk management.We are currently undertaking a review of the reasonable worst case scenario planning assumptions for Operation Yellowhammer and will publish the revised version in due course. As you’d expect, the assumptions are under constant review, particularly as our preparations advance at pace.

Prorogation

lord hain: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the Prime Minister or Cabinet Secretary first discussedprorogation with Sir Edward Young, the Private Secretary to Her Majesty the Queen.

the earl of courtown: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 09 September 2019.The correct answer should have been:

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.Since communications between the Ministers or officials and Her Majesty the Queen or her advisers are confidential, I am not able to provide you with any details.

the earl of courtown: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.Since communications between the Ministers or officials and Her Majesty the Queen or her advisers are confidential, I am not able to provide you with any details.

Office for Tackling Injustices

baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the formal remit of the new Office for Tackling Injustices; and what are its immediate priorities.

the earl of courtown: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 09 September 2019.The correct answer should have been:

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.We are considering how best to take forward this work in the light of the new Government’s domestic priorities and will provide an update in due course.

the earl of courtown: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.We are considering how best to take forward this work in the light of the new Government’s domestic priorities and will provide an update in due course.

Department for International Trade

Trade

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of a joint-letter from a group of worldwide business federations coordinated by the United States Chamber of Commerce warning against the impact that a no-deal Brexit could have on global trade as reported by The Times on 4 September.

the earl of courtown: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 09 September 2019.The correct answer should have been:

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.The Government is accelerating Brexit preparations so that it is ready to leave the EU on 31 October, whatever the circumstances. The UK is ready to continue trading on day 1 of Brexit and will show it can globally trade its way to prosperity, stability and security. The Department for International Trade is giving businesses accurate, official, up-to-date information on what will and won’t change when the UK leaves the EU on 31 October. It is also providing businesses with the actions they need to take to continue trading with minimal disruption. Businesses should familiarise themselves with the detailed and wide-ranging Brexit guidance available on gov.uk/brexit so they understand how to prepare for a potential no deal Brexit scenario.

the earl of courtown: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.The Government is accelerating Brexit preparations so that it is ready to leave the EU on 31 October, whatever the circumstances. The UK is ready to continue trading on day 1 of Brexit and will show it can globally trade its way to prosperity, stability and security. The Department for International Trade is giving businesses accurate, official, up-to-date information on what will and won’t change when the UK leaves the EU on 31 October. It is also providing businesses with the actions they need to take to continue trading with minimal disruption. Businesses should familiarise themselves with the detailed and wide-ranging Brexit guidance available on gov.uk/brexit so they understand how to prepare for a potential no deal Brexit scenario.

Arms Trade: Saudi Arabia

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many export licences they have granted which approved the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia in 2019.

the earl of courtown: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 09 September 2019.The correct answer should have been:

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member. Licensing data is published as Official Statistics on GOV.UK. The data currently provides details of licences up to 31 March 2019 and this shows that 50 licence applications for military items have been approved.  Information about the period 1 April to 30 June will be published on 15 October 2019 and data covering the period 1 July 2019 to 30 September 2019 will be published in January 2020. Licensing decisions about transfers to Saudi Arabia of items which may be used in the conflict in Yemen have been subject to judicial review. Under the Court of Appeal judgment of 20 June 2019 my Rt. Hon Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade was remitted to reconsider these decisions. Until such time the Government will not grant new licences to export items to Saudi Arabia or its coalition partners for possible use in Yemen.  All export licences are issued in strict accordance with the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria.

the earl of courtown: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member. Licensing data is published as Official Statistics on GOV.UK. The data currently provides details of licences up to 31 March 2019 and this shows that 50 licence applications for military items have been approved.  Information about the period 1 April to 30 June will be published on 15 October 2019 and data covering the period 1 July 2019 to 30 September 2019 will be published in January 2020. Licensing decisions about transfers to Saudi Arabia of items which may be used in the conflict in Yemen have been subject to judicial review. Under the Court of Appeal judgment of 20 June 2019 my Rt. Hon Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade was remitted to reconsider these decisions. Until such time the Government will not grant new licences to export items to Saudi Arabia or its coalition partners for possible use in Yemen.  All export licences are issued in strict accordance with the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria.